Shaft-support for vehicles



(No Model.)

S. R. PETERS. SHAFT SUPPORT FOR VEHICLES.

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SHAFT-SUPPORT FOR VEHICLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 540,332, dated June 4,1895.

Application filed September 17, 1894- Serial No. 523,191- (No model.)

with my improved shaft-support applied thereto. Fig. 2 is an enlargeddetached side view of said shaft-support. Fig. 3 is a side view of partof the shaft-support upon a still larger scale, showing the manner ofhinging the two arms of the support, as will be hereinafter described.Fig. 4 is a transverse section through one of said arms, taken on line00, Fig. 3, showing a plan of part of the other arm and an edge view ofthe hinge-plate by I which the ends thereof are united; and Fig.

5 represents, upon a still larger scale, a perspective view of saidhinge-plate.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple and effective supportfor the shafts of carriages, sleighs and other vehicles when they areswung up as usual to get them out of the way, while said vehicles'arenot in use;

and consists of two arms, preferably curved, and a specially constructedhinge-plate for uniting one end of each of said arms together andprovided with means whereby the arms may be adjusted to different anglesto each other, and also admitting of folding said arms together when notin use, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

To enable others skilled in the art to which my invention appertains tobetter understand the nature and purpose thereof, I will now proceed todescribe it more in detail.

In the drawings, A, B, represent the arms previously alluded to, whichare preferably made in practice of wood, and in about the curved formshown in the drawings, that is, with both arms curving in the samedirection when the parts are fitted and secured for use. I do not,however, limit myself thereto, as the special shape of the arms is notan essential feature of my invention. When the arms are open for use asshown by full lines in the drawings, one arm is about at right angles tothe other. The ends of the arms at the pivot of the device are engagedone with the other by means of a flat plate 0, preferably fitted inlongitudinal slots formed in said ends of the arms, as is best shown inFig. 4, and the parts are held by passing pins a, a transverselytherethrough and riveting the ends to hold them in place. The arm A isfastened rigidly to plate 0, by an end flange b, formed on said platewhich bears on the outer side of the arm, and the transverse pin apassed through the arm and plate near the inner end of said arm. Theother arm B is pivoted to the plate at some distance from its end, bythe pin or, passed transversely therethrough, and through the outer endof said plate, as is best shown in Figs. 3 and 4, and said arm is heldfrom swinging out from/the arm A beyond a certain point or limit usuallyin practice about at right angles to said arm, by means of a removable,transverse holding-pin 0 passed through a hole in the plate, andagainstwhich pin the inner end of the pivoted arm is adapted to strike when thedevice is opened for use, as is shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3.

In order that the angle of arm B to arm A may be varied to suitdifferent kinds and sizes of vehicles, the plate is provided with anumber of transverse holes at through which the holdingfpin 0 may bepassed to hold the arm at different angles. By this arrangement it isobvious that the pivoted arm is held rigid from swinging out beyond agiven point when opened for use, while it may also be folded compactlyagainst the other arm as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2, when notin use.

In applying the device it is first opened as indicated by full lines.The shafts D are then raised as shown in Fig. 1, and the end B insertedunder the center of the front end of the vehicle body E, between theunder side thereof and the top of the usual front axle or itsattachments coming over the same, and with the inner side of the arm Aagainst the under side of the cross-bar F of the shafts G, as is shownin Fig. 1; thereby forming a firm braceor support to hold said shafts insaid elevated position.

The device, it will be apparent, is very sim ple and inexpensive, and byits use the usual crude mode of supporting shaft-s by means of a stickplaced vertically under the same may be dispensedwith and thus obviatingthe possibility of injury by the shafts accidentally falling upon theheads or shoulders of persons, especially children, passing under thesame.

Having described my invention, What I claim therein as new, and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is

An improved shaft-support for vehicles comprising in combination the armA slotted longitudinally at its base end and also provided with atransverse opening through said slotted end; the plate 0 adapted to fitin said slot in arm A and provided with the endflange b projectinglaterally from said plate and adapted to bear against the outer edge ofarm A,said plate 0 also being provided with transverse openings toreceive the pivot pins (1 a and openings 01 to receive the holding pin0; the arm B slotted longitudinally at its base end to receive the plate0 and provided with a transverse opening through said slotted end toreceive the pivot pin a,said arm being held in use at about right anglesto arm A by said pivot pin a and by the upper side of its inner endbearing against the holding pin 0, substantially as and for the purposeset forth.

STEPHEN R. PETERS.

Witnesses:

A. A. BARKER, C. F. WESSON.

